Tag Archives: fine furniture

Looking for authentic handmade wood furniture, made in the good 'ol USA? It's not so easy to find it anymore, is it? Most Americans think of North Carolina as the fine furniture capitol of the USA, but over the past 30 years, that has changed. The furniture companies we think of as being quintessentially American — for example Thomasville, Broyhill, Ethan Allen and Lane — no longer make much, if any furniture in the USA. Instead they outsource their furniture to factories in China, Vietnam and other third world countries.

So where does one go to find authentic, high quality, handmade wood furniture? It turns out that Vermont is now considered to be the fine furniture capitol of the country. By unofficial count, some 2000 small wood furniture makers dot the rural Vermont countryside, taking advantage of the heavily forested nature of our state for supply of natural, eco-friendly raw materials.

At Vermont Woods Studios Furniture we represent many of these craftsmen, providing a low cost venue for the marketing and sale of their work. Our mission is to collaborate with Vermont's fine furniture makers, enabling them to spend more time in their studios doing what they do best: making beautiful, solid wood furniture. At the same time we can focus on our expertise: customer service– thus creating greater efficiency and the best possible prices for your heirloom quality handmade furniture. Give us a call to learn more about Vermont's many fine furniture makers and how to bring their work into your home or office.

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At Vermont Woods Studios we're privileged to work with some of the world's finest craftsmen. Some of these furniture makers have had a tradition of fine craftsmanship handed down to them through many generations of Vermonters while others have emigrated to our state, attracted by the natural beauty and the close community of artisans living here.

One of the passions we all share is a love of the outdoors and a connection to the forest: the source of our wood. Vermont furniture makers care immensely about where their wood comes from as this affects not only the look and quality of a piece but also the sense of "karma" that every handmade piece has. The sustainability of our forests is an important issue to us.

I read this note about forest conservation from friend and sustainable furniture maker Dave Allard recently and wanted to share it:

In 2008, the US Forest Service reported that the volume of American
hardwoods is 90 percent larger than it was just 50 years ago and nearly
twice as much hardwood grows as is harvested every year. When managed
responsibly hardwood forests are at the least carbon neutral.

American hardwoods are abundant and self-regenerating. For centuries
they have been providing beauty, warmth and functional value for floors,
furniture, moldings, millwork and cabinetry.

Conservation weighs heavily on our minds. We
have always purchased the finest hardwoods from local, and reputable
sustainable resources. This allows us to virtually hand pick our lumber,
save on the use of large trucks that emit pollutants, thus limiting our
carbon footprint and waste factor overall. We were ‘Green’ before it
was cool.

I agree. Vermont is not only the fine furniture capitol of America it is also the sustainable furniture capitol of our country.

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Vermont Woods Studios Fine Furniture is proud to be featured in the very well respected woodworking industry journal, Cabinet Maker. We want to thank Will Sampson for his insightful article about our furniture business and how it fits into the dynamic and challenging world of fine furniture retailing in the USA.

Besides being a writer and editor at Cabinet Maker, Will is also the author of SawdustSoup, a blog for professional woodworkers seeking to continuously improve their craft. We salute Will for his fine work at Cabinet Maker.

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Select the furniture maker who has crafted pieces most similar to
what you're looking for. This is critical. It's much easier and more
affordable for them to customize something they've already designed and
built than to start from scratch.

Ask the furniture maker about customizing existing pieces with your
choice of wood, finish, hardware, dimensions, molding, leg style and so
on. Note: there is a big difference between commissioning an original, unique custom work of art and customizing an existing piece of furniture.

Discuss wood choices and characteristics with your furniture
maker. Are you trying to match this new piece with existing pieces in
the same room? If so, you may want to bring in that furniture or
photos of those pieces to the workshop.

Discuss furniture finish with your furniture maker. Do you want a
natural oil finish or one that provides more protection against
moisture and perhaps small hand-prints and such. Or something in between. There are many choices to consider.

Spend the time upfront to discuss the details of your furniture
order up-front with your furniture maker. Remember the old saying,
"measure twice, cut once". You don't want to have any surprises when it's time to install your furniture.

Have fun and enjoy the process. Get to know your furniture maker.
His or her personality will be a significant part of the meaning of
your new heirloom!